There are tiny holes in the skin through which oxygen enters the cells, and decay products formed as a result of metabolism come out. These are pores. They allow the epidermis to look flawless.
However, in normal condition they can be found very rarely. Some suffer because they are very narrow. For some they are too wide. In the latter case, the problem will be clogged pores, which are a serious obstacle to skin breathing. The solution lies in thorough facial cleansing and additional care for the epidermis.
How to clean the pores on your face correctly
The main condition for the normal process of skin regeneration is oxygen saturation at the cellular level. In this case, there is no skin irritation or peeling. The necessary processes are fully ensured by regular cleansing of the skin surface.
If a woman has oily skin type, she will have visible enlarged pores. The main reason for their appearance is improperly used cosmetics. To effectively clean pores at home, you need to keep your skin clean every day. It will not be enough to use a soap solution and an alcohol-containing tonic.
Basic facial care needs to include several important stages - this is a cleansing, toning process, and the skin also needs to be moisturized and nourished. When using masks, you can achieve narrowing of enlarged pores, as well as deep cleaning. Before these procedures, the skin must be steamed for the best effect.
Causes
To begin with, it’s a good idea to find out why the pores on your face are clogged. There may be one reason, but most often there is a whole combination of factors at work. Think about which of the following is present in your life and how much it could affect the condition of your skin.
- In oily and combination skin types, the glands produce too much sebum. If these circumstances are complemented by insufficient care of the epidermis and an incorrect lifestyle, you should not be surprised that your pores are clogged with sebum.
- If you don't clean your face regularly, your pores will accumulate makeup residue, dust and dirt particles. Forming a dense mass, they clog holes in the skin. Subcutaneous fat is added to them from the inside, the production of which does not stop for a minute. The result is inflammation on the face in the form of pimples and blackheads.
- If you use cosmetics that are completely unsuitable for your skin type, contamination cannot be avoided.
- The abundance of decorative cosmetics on the face (in several layers) is another reason for our misfortune. This creates a non-breathable mask on the skin, which is harmful to the health of the epidermis.
- The glands begin to produce a lot of sebum when eating the “wrong” foods: fast food, smoked meats, marinades, chips, crackers, carbonated and alcoholic drinks, hot seasonings, sauces, mayonnaise, sweets.
- Rare minutes in the fresh air and preference for a dusty office or apartment is another circumstance that provokes this phenomenon.
Knowing why pores become clogged, you can analyze your lifestyle and how you use cosmetics and draw appropriate conclusions. It's time to change something - otherwise the condition of the epidermis will only worsen every day. But before you take action, make sure that you actually have clogged pores and not some kind of skin disease.
Helpful information. Comedogenicity is the ability of cosmetic products to pollute and clog pores.
Main stages of cleansing
For improved performance when cleaning pores, it is important to follow the sequence of actions. Below we briefly describe the proposed scheme.
Steaming pores
First of all, you need to carefully remove your daytime makeup. Pre-apply emollients to the skin to maximize pore opening. The best option would be hot herbal compresses. You can also make steam baths.
Steam the herbal composition in advance and give it time to brew. Then dip a terry towel in it, squeeze it a little, and apply it to the surface of your face. Leave the compress on for a total of five minutes. If the towel cools quickly, dip it again in the warm herbal solution. For dry skin, three minutes will be enough.
To better steam the pores, you can hold your face over a heated infusion of herbs, for example, chamomile or St. John's wort flowers, sage leaves or calendula. You can add a couple of drops of any essential oil to the decoction. Such procedures are contraindicated if there is a vascular network on the skin - rosacea, individual intolerance or skin diseases.
We remove pollution
To do this, you can prepare scrubs and mask compositions yourself. Home-made products should be applied to the skin twice in seven days if you have an oily or combination type. For dry or normal type, one per week is enough.
Wash off masks with water at room temperature. Just pat your face dry with a terry towel, do not rub. Scrubs can be purchased ready-made with factory-made fillers. In this case, the main thing is to choose a composition that suits your skin type.
If the skin is a little dry, then choose a mild product so as not to injure or overdry the surface. For the rest, compositions containing harsh abrasive particles are suitable.
Narrowing the pores
To narrow the expanded porosity of the skin, it is recommended to use available means, for example, solution of hydrogen peroxide, fresh aloe juice, and sour citrus varieties. Option - rich green tea, various mask products.
Moisturizing your face
After cleansing the skin, the final step is to apply an intense moisturizer to the surface. Oils with high fat content and creams with a high nutritional effect are usually not recommended. These products heavily clog and clog enlarged pores.
Basic cleaning tips
The cleanser must contain components that can additionally both dry the skin and have an astringent effect. This can be chamomile extract, aloe juice, citrus sour varieties. When washing, the products should be used in the morning and before bed.
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The final cleansing stage is the use of tonic. For oily types or skin with existing problems, select a product that must contain zinc oxide. At the end of the cleansing process, the skin is lubricated with a moisturizing cream composition, according to the type.
When deep cleaning enlarged pores, you can use homemade products. The mask mixture is applied to the skin twice a week. It will do an excellent job of removing dirt deposits in the form of blackheads. Also, the pores are freed from sebaceous accumulations and toxins, while they narrow, which improves the appearance as a whole.
Mask products usually contain additional elements, for example, microelements and vitamin complexes. They will more than saturate the skin with everything it needs, and blood flow will also improve.
Once a decade you should cleanse the skin to rid the surface of keratinized or dead particles. An option is exfoliating procedures in the form of peeling. It doesn’t matter where you do them: in a beauty salon or at home.
Cleanse your skin correctly
Due to irregular or insufficient cleansing, excess sebum and impurities accumulate in the pores, which stretch the skin ducts. The result is enlarged pores and blackheads. Daily cleansing is the first and most important step towards clear pores.
Blackheads appear most often on oily skin, so use foams and gels. To cleanse dry skin, pay attention to two-phase liquids, mousses, and also creams for washing with oils.
What you need to know about contraindications
Those women who have the following reasons will have to refuse cleansing procedures:
- A viral skin disease that is in the acute stage, for example, a herpes rash;
- Increased body temperature;
- Infectious pathologies;
- The period of bearing a child, lactation;
- Diabetes;
- Increased skin sensitivity;
- Allergy to components of cosmetic products.
It is advisable to pre-test masks and scrubs on a small area of skin before proceeding.
Avoid comedogenic cosmetics
The fight against clogged pores requires an integrated approach, including a review of the decorative and skincare cosmetics you use.
First of all, exclude cosmetic products with substances that are known to be highly comedogenic: lanolin, a number of vegetable oils (coconut, cocoa butter), petroleum products.
During the period of struggle with clogged pores, it is recommended to exclude thick decorative foundations and concealers, as well as cosmetics with silicones.
Types of cleaning in a beauty salon
If the pores are dirty, you can use hardware and mechanical methods to clean them. They will help improve skin condition. If there are clogged pores or a large accumulation of black spots on the surface, you should first begin cleaning measures. Cosmetic products that narrow or mask problem pores will not correct the situation, but will only worsen it.
Mechanical method
The most effective and efficient technique that helps remove blackheads of various sizes. Although this method partially injures the surface, it thoroughly removes dense plugs and comedones sitting deep in the skin.
The salon cleaning procedure includes several stages:
- One of them is a cleansing technique;
- In the second stage, the skin is treated with special compounds that help open the pores as much as possible;
- After softening, for example, comedones and blackheads, they are removed using a Uno spoon. You can also clean with your fingertips;
- The final stage is treating the surface with mask compositions to relieve the inflammatory process.
If the pores are clogged, it is not recommended to clean them. At home, there is a possibility of infection, injury to the skin, and acne may become inflamed.
Ultrasound method
This is a less painful procedure than the previous option. Accordingly, the effectiveness here is less effective. This is an easy cleaning option. It is unlikely that it will cope with dense sebaceous plugs.
Using ultrasonic cleaning, you can remove minor dirt deposits and exfoliated stratum corneum. Ultrasound evens out the surface texture and improves complexion. Light massaging actions are carried out using ultrasonic waves. Thanks to these properties, the skin is well-groomed, glows, and becomes smoother.
Symptoms
It is not possible to recognize the problem right away, since clogged pores on your face will begin to ruin your life only after all the debris accumulated in them begins to rot. It is at this moment that the most unpleasant surprises await you. The main symptoms are the following:
- the texture of the skin changes: if before it was more or less smooth, now it is all covered with small tubercles, wavy and looks very unkempt;
- inflammation begins to appear: pimples and acne, as in adolescence;
- comedones - blackheads - form on the nose, chin and forehead;
- the complexion became reddish-blue, the healthy and natural blush disappeared;
- when examined in the mirror, you can see how enlarged the pores are, which also does not improve your appearance.
If you are guilty of using some cosmetic product and do not know how to understand that the cream is clogging your pores, conduct an experiment. Stop using it for a while - if the above symptoms begin to gradually disappear, your suspicions are not in vain. But throwing it away is not a solution to the problem. It will be replaced by another product, which will also lead to dirt on the face. Therefore, the only sure way is to start regular cleaning of the epidermis.
